There is an interest in detecting and analyzing aerosol particles. For example, evidence indicates that there is a correlation between acid aerosol inhalation and lung impairment. A number of instruments have recently been developed in the United States and other countries attempting to detect and analyze the aerosol particles. These applications span conductor processing to air pollution research. There are, however, currently no available methods for taking a particle--gas mixture (an aerosol), forming a particle beam where all the particles are aligned, and then introducing the beam into a vacuum. The introduction into a vacuum is desired because a vacuum is convenient for counting the particles or assessing their chemical composition.